Our website has had a revamp and we can get back on track with bringing more up to date news – we hope.

Things have been happening. Usually at this time of year [mid-January]
we report that the snowdrops are showing through. This year they are
very visible already, and on a sunny day look quite lovely.

This is perhaps because the winter has been mild up to now, and we have
also seen something we have never noticed in flower before. This is
winter heliotrope, [Petasites fragrans], which flowers only at
this time of the year, although the leaves, which are really bright
green tend to be around all year. Apparently, according to the wild
flower book, it smells of vanilla. The clump we have is on the left of
the path which turns up the hill, just inside the wood.

The woodland volunteers have planted about 80 trees over the late autumn/winter period, all native species appropriate for our wood. By a strange set of circumstances [long story] we received a donation of nearly 40 trees from Brookmans Park Rotary Club, which were gratefully received, along with the necessary stakes and tree guards and these were planted before Christmas. Since then another 40 have been purchased from Friends of Batchwood funds, and used to fill some gaps that have occurred during coppicing and clearing of old and precarious trees, spindly saplings that would not fare well for the future, and clearance of brambles and scrub. The result of the clearing is that the wood looks just a bit bare at the moment, but that is right for the time of year and the will allow good views of the bluebells in two or three months [some bulbs are already showing up through the leaf litter].

All through the summer and autumn last year we were noticing a large old oak tree, standing dead wood, that was to the left of the path from the picnic area down to the road. This tree seemed, perhaps, to lean a little more each month, and eventually at the end of November it uprooted itself, without falling completely but getting lodged in surrounding trees. This was too big a job for the volunteers to clear up, and contractors were brought it to fell it completely and make it safe. It had been a very large tree and we happened to be passing just as the contractors were starting the final felling. It was quite exciting to watch. It took three attempts to get it down. Since Christmas the volunteers have been tidying up the inevitable resulting damage and making things safe.

Back in August we were told that the nightclub would be closing after Christmas for refurbishment. That date was then put back to Easter, and now it seems it may be August, or later. We will believe it when it happens!

The heatwave is over and the golf course is looking parched, but reasonably good. After even just a couple of days of rain, it seems to show signs of greening up again. Most of the trees have shown little sign of stress, but heavy rain and high wind may reveal the weaker branches. The volunteers have been undertaking summer maintenance, clearing brambles and nettles and ‘raising the heads’ of the younger trees so that it is easier to walk underneath.

There is good news about Batchwood Hall. Over the summer months some much-need maintenance and refurbishment has been going on and the outside is looking much better. The ridiculously overgrown ivy has been stripped away from the windows and their surrounds, window frames have been repaired and painted, blocked downpipes cleared, so that any water goes down the pipes and not the wall, and brickwork generally cleaned and made good. The fire escapes are now looking safe and well-lit. At a recent resident’s meeting, the management said that the club would be closing for at least six weeks after Christmas for internal refurbishment, and in the meantime there would be a focus on attracting a more mature clientele and management of patrons leaving the club at closing time. Let’s hope this will lead less antisocial behaviour.

At the AGM in May, Kate Bretherton mentioned that there would be a training day at Verulamium for those wanting to know how to record significant trees using the Treezilla website. We now know that this will be centred on Verulamium Museum and Park on Thursday 13th September from 5pm to 7pm. Meet at the entrance to the museum at 5pm. There will be a short walk around the park to record a couple of trees, followed by a session at the Museum on how to upload data onto the website at: https://www.treezilla.org/treezilla/map/?z=12/51.7734/-0.3245

The map – known as The Treezilla – will become a useful resource for students, ecologists, town planners and others seeking information about the area. Recording trees in our District is vital to monitoring their health, recognising their ecological and cultural importance, and understanding their ecosystem and landscape value. Recording trees via Treezilla is intended to help quantify the benefits trees bring to society, including producing oxygen, absorbing air pollution and improving water qualtity, and thus ascribe a financial value to trees.

Alex Laurie MCIEEM, who is Landscape & Arboriculture Assistant at St Albans City & District Council, has told Kate it would be great to see as many of you there on the evening, also if you know anyone who you think would be getting involved in the project or other tree wardening activities. Please let Kate know if you are interested [stalbans@tree-talk.co.uk].

Apologies for the different appearance of this post. A few technical problems with the website at the moment. We hope to sort these out soon.

Friends of Batchwood held their AGM on Sunday 13th May, as usual in the picnic area of the woods. In pleasant, if not exactly warm, weather, after the meeting we enjoyed our usual barbecue, with the salads and desserts so generously and deliciously donated by our members. Thanks to them all. The officers of FoB were re-elected – a full report will be found, in due course, in the ‘About Us’ section.

During the course of the meeting one of our members – Kate Bretherton – told us that she would be updating her book, ‘The Remarkable Trees of St Albans’ and would like some help to do so. She intends to keep the book much as it was but add an index and add, as end notes, any changes and new information.
Please would Friends let Kate know of any
– changes they have noticed since 2010,
– trees or tree issues they think ought to be shared;
– improvements to the book that they would like to see in the update.
Such communications should be sent to kate@hellotrees.co.uk or Kate Bretherton, Flint Barn, Norrington End, Redding Lane, Redbourn, AL3 7QN.

She also told us that St Albans Council are committed to planting replacement trees where commemorative or significant ones need to be removed in the course of management works. To assist the council with identifying occasions when it would be desirable for replacement trees to be planted, SADC would like to identify trees of significance in the district. For this to happen, we residents of the District need to:– decide what criteria should be used to decide whether a tree is ‘of community value’: some historical connection? aesthetic significance? personal or emotional association (e.g. planted in memory of a person, planted by nursery school children or a mayor)? or is a community amenity (e.g. children love to climb on it, hide in it; teenagers like to meet under it)?
– identify trees that fit the accepted criteria;
– nominate the person/organisation to be contacted if an identified tree will be affected – and keep updated the contact details of the person.
– create a record of the tree including its exact location and description and the contact details of the person nominated to be contacted.
We don’t want to overload the Council Officers, so we need to be careful about which criteria are accepted, and which trees fit the criteria. To start the process, Kate Bretherton is setting up a St Albans Tree Group, email address stalbans@tree-talk.org.uk, to work in association with St Albans Tree Wardens Scheme, and the Council is planning a tutorial on how to identify and record trees on line. This will take place in September in Verulamium Park.
If you would like to be part of the Group deciding which trees should be protected and helping to record them, please send your email address to Kate Bretherton using email address stalbans@tree-talk.co.uk. In case Kate falls
under a bus, your details will be shared with Pete Cutforth, Heartwood Volunteer. All data will be kept securely and not shared with any other party without your express permission.

Just a reminder – FoB works to preserve and improve the 11 acres of semi-ancient woodland that comprise our small Batch Wood. We welcome support and new members – if you would be interested in joining please contact Caroline on carolineblack58@hotmail.com. (The annual subscription for 2018/19 is £3 for individuals and £5 for families – but will increase for 2019/20).

The weather in the 10 days prior to the AGM had been very warm, but the bluebells just about survived to look beautiful for the customary ‘around the wood’ walk. The on/off weather over the spring and early summer has produced – in turn – the best hawthorn blossom for years, amazing elder flowers, wild roses and honeysuckle – all creamy and pink colours. They have been a delight.

And on a recent [16th June] walk, we noticed these on the stump of a sycamore that was felled – for safety reasons – earlier in the year. It looked as if someone had left some boiled eggs there. An hour after the photograph was taken, the largest ‘egg’ had been damaged, revealing a central stalk – like a mushroom – and the ‘cap’ that had been knocked off also had gills like mushroom. They were all bright white.